Channel Catfish

Identification

Deeply forked tail and a rounded anal fin. The anal fin is the tell: blue catfish share the forked tail but their anal fin runs straight across the bottom. Young fish carry scattered dark spots that often fade with age.

Habitat & Range

Rivers, reservoirs, ponds and lakes with current or structure. Spawning fish seek dark, enclosed cavities — hollow logs, overhanging underwater ledges, holes under mud banks, undercut banks and muskrat burrows.

Native across central North America and introduced almost everywhere else in the United States. Ohio, Missouri and Oklahoma all hold strong populations.

Diet & Feeding

Genuinely omnivorous: insects, crayfish, molluscs, small fish and carrion. It is why cut bait and prepared baits work so well on them.

Spawning & Reproduction

Spawns in late May and June, when water reaches roughly 70 to 75°F depending on which agency you ask. The male picks and clears a dark cavity, then guards the eggs against all comers — including the female — and tends the fry briefly after they hatch.